Category Manager

Department: Procurement

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Worsley

Description

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement sourcing strategies across assigned spend categories.
• Lead competitive tendering exercises, supplier negotiations and contract renewals.
• Deliver measurable cost savings, cost avoidance and value improvement initiatives.
• Analyse spend data to identify consolidation, standardisation and commercial opportunities.
• Monitor market conditions, supplier trends and industry developments to support procurement decision making.
• Support category strategy development and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Develop collaborative relationships with key suppliers.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed service, quality and commercial KPIs.
• Support supplier performance reviews and improvement plans where required.
• Identify and mitigate supplier risks relating to financial stability, operational resilience and compliance.
• Support supplier onboarding and due diligence activities.

• Produce detailed spend analysis, supplier performance reports and procurement management information.
• Develop dashboards and insights to support strategic decision making.
• Use data to challenge existing practices and influence business stakeholders.
• Identify trends, risks and opportunities across procurement categories.

• Support contract negotiations, renewals and supplier governance activities.
• Ensure procurement activity complies with internal policies and delegated authorities.
• Assist in managing supplier compliance, contractual obligations and commercial disputes.
• Maintain accurate procurement records, contract registers and sourcing documentation.

• Build strong relationships with operational, commercial, finance and functional teams.
• Act as a trusted commercial adviser to stakeholders across the business.
• Promote early procurement engagement to maximise value and minimise risk.
• Support project mobilisation and delivery by ensuring suppliers are engaged effectively.

• Procurement savings delivered (£)
• Cost avoidance achieved (£)
• Supplier performance against agreed KPIs
• Tender completion and cycle times
• Supplier risk mitigation actions completed
• Stakeholder satisfaction
• Spend under contract (%)

Experience and Qualifications

• Procurement and buying experience.
• Proven track record delivering commercial savings and value improvements.
• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills. 
• Experience leading supplier negotiations and tender exercises.
• Experience managing contracts and supplier relationships.
• Advanced Excel and procurement reporting capabilities.

• Understanding of strategic sourcing methodologies.
• Knowledge of supplier evaluation, risk management and contract management.
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of total cost of ownership principles.
• Understanding of procurement governance and compliance requirements.

• Commercially astute and results driven.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Confident communicator and negotiator.
• Able to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Highly organised and detail-oriented.
• Proactive, pragmatic and solutions focused.
• Strong team player with a collaborative approach.

• Experience within the utilities, energy, construction, infrastructure or civil engineering sectors.
• CIPS qualification (Level 4 or above) or working towards qualification.
• Experience using ERP and procurement systems (Business Central, Proactis or similar).
• Experience supporting supplier risk, compliance and ESG initiatives.

• Delivers sustainable commercial savings and value creation.
• Provides meaningful spend insight and data-led recommendations.
• Supports operational delivery through effective supplier management.
• Maintains a compliant, resilient and commercially competitive supply base.
• Becomes a trusted procurement partner to stakeholders across the Network Plus business.

Salary and Benefits